


Riposte Lets Rip

by RockSunner



Series: Smart Adversaries AU [30]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Be Careful What You Wish For, Cat!Kagami, Character Death, Chat Noir Reveal, Drama, Episode: s02 Riposte, F/M, Identity Reveal, Ladybug Reveal, Mayura Reveal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-26
Updated: 2018-11-11
Packaged: 2019-07-03 00:09:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,371
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15807351
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RockSunner/pseuds/RockSunner
Summary: What if Riposte didn't let herself be turned away from the challenge to Adrien? Warning: violence. Spoiler alert for "Mayura" episode.





	1. Challenge

Kagami tried to reach her mother when her driver stopped at a red light.

"I'm not available at the moment. Leave a message," said the voicemail prompt.

"Mother, you thought I was good enough, but... I lost," said Kagami. "I won't be joining the D'Argencourt Academy,"

Kagami looked down the insignia on her ring, the "Ken no Onna," or "Sword Woman." How could she have lost? She came from generations of fencing champions!

Her mother would never forgive her for losing. There were no second chances in her family. It wouldn't matter that he had cheated, using a biased referee. She should have won so decisively that nobody could have claimed otherwise.

An akuma squeezed in through the car window. It entered the ring on Kagami's right hand. She sat up glaring, all her vengeful emotions amplified.

"Riposte! I am Hawk Moth," said a voice in her mind. "I'm giving you a second chance to prove that you are the best fencer of all, but in return, you must bring me Ladybug and Chat Noir's Miraculous."

"On my honor, Hawk Moth, I shall be victorious!"

Purple magic fluttered all around her – she gained metallic armor and a sword attached to her right arm. As the light turned green, Riposte sliced open the sun roof and leaped out of the car.

Her opponent was in the car following hers. Riposte slashed at the car, cutting it in two. The front half crashed, knocking out the muscular driver. Adrien was thrown out, but he rolled, not taking much damage.

"I'm taking you up on your offer of a decisive match!" said Riposte.

"I- I can't fight you like this! You're not... yourself," said Adrien.

"Halt, Riposte!" said Hawk Moth in her mind. "You may seek your revenge, but only after you take hold of Ladybug and Cat Noir's Miraculous first."

Riposte let her intense desire for revenge overwhelm her new loyalty to Hawk Moth.

"I hear you, Hawk Moth. But..."

Adrien started to run.

"It is dishonorable to run from a challenge!" said Riposte.

Fast as thought, she slashed with her blade. Adrien was cut through the heart. He died instantly.

"What have you done! You've killed him, you've killed my son!" sent Hawk Moth.

"With the power you gave me," said Riposte.

Hawk Moth sent a burst of pain, sending her to her knees. The akuma flew out from her and the power was gone. Unlike when an akumatized object was broken, Kagami returned to normal with all the memories of what she had done.

Kagami was frozen with shock and horror.

* * *

Ladybug arrived and ran to the fallen boy. "No! Adrien! I was too late!"

Ladybug raised her head and howled with grief. Then she saw the akuma butterfly flying away and instinctively went through the ritual to capture and purify it.

"Bye-bye, little butterfly," said Ladybug, but her tone was bitter.

"The only hope for Adrien is the healing spell," said Ladybug to herself. "Lucky..."

She tried to send her yo-yo into the air, but something black grabbed it.

"No, not now," said the little creature.

"What are you?" asked Ladybug. "You look like a dark version of Tikki. Why are you trying to stop me?"

"I'm Plagg, the Cat kwami. You can't do a Lucky Charm now. Not if you want Adrien alive again."

"Why?" asked Ladybug.

"Since your Lucky Charm didn't help stop the akuma, the Miraculous Ladybug spell will be weak. Bloodshed by an akumatized weapon is the toughest damage to fix."

"Wait, if you're the Cat kwami, you must work with Chat Noir. Where is he? Why aren't you with him?"

"I'm severed from him – because he died."

"B-but, that means... Adrien is Chat Noir?"

"He was. Yes."

"I have to get him back. What do I have to do to get a healing charm powerful enough?"

"You need to face the master of all the akumas, Hawk Moth. Defeat him using a Lucky Charm and you'll have the power to heal Adrien."

"Me against Hawk Moth? Alone?" asked Ladybug. "I have to try... of course. Nothing matters but saving Adrien."

"Let me help you," said Kagami, standing up. "Hawk Moth used me. He got me to attack with super powers against a helpless opponent. He has soiled my honor and he must pay."

"I'm sorry, but I can't involve a civilian," said Ladybug.

"I could power her up as a new Chat Noir," said Plagg. "You're going to need all the help you can get."

"Yes, let me do that!" said Kagami.

"No. I can't let anyone else get killed," said Ladybug.

"I can fight, and this is a matter of honor."

"No."

"I can tell you who Hawk Moth is. Let me be your Chat Noir."

"You know who he is?" asked Ladybug.

"Yes, but I'll only tell you if you let me help," said Kagami.

"All right... I have no choice," said Ladybug.

Plagg got the ring from Adrien's hand and gave it to Kagami. After brief instructions she was ready.

"Plagg, claws out!"

The new suit was sleek, with a ninja-like style. There was no bell.

"Now, what do you know about Hawk Moth?" asked Ladybug.

"He said I killed his son. Hawk Moth is the father of Adrien," said Chat Noir.

"Gabriel Agreste? I suspected him, but I was sure we eliminated him as a possibility," said Ladybug.

"I am sure," said Chat. "Whatever convinced you otherwise, it was a trick."

"Then let's go get him," said Ladybug. "For Adrien."

"For honor," said Chat.

The two headed off to the Agreste mansion. The new Chat Noir was used to weapons and adapted quickly to using the staff.


	2. Dueling

Chat Noir (the Kagami version) and Ladybug arrived at the ivy-covered wall bounding the Agreste Mansion on the south side.

"You realize that we left Adrian in the middle of the street back there," said Chat Noir.

"I know," said Ladybug, "But this is an emergency! If we can defeat Hawk Moth, we can bring Adrian back to life. But the longer we take, the more time we give the enemy to prepare, and the harder it will be."

"Do you have a plan?" asked Chat Noir.

"Not really. I have no idea how to fight him. I'll get the best edge that we can."

Ladybug threw her yo-yo into the air with a cry of "Lucky Charm!" and got a polka-dotted remote control.

"What am I supposed to do with this?"

I don't know," said Chat. "But we have to look for a secret entrance into his lair. I think it has to be on an upper floor so that he can send butterflies out."

They leaped up onto the southern wall. Immediately they saw a circular window with a metal iris diaphragm shutter around it at the attic level. It was open, and in the middle of the window one round pane was missing.

"In there," said Ladybug.

* * *

They leaped through one after the other and came face-to-face with Hawk Moth. Tears were running from the eyeholes of his mask.

"I'm in no mood to fight you," Hawk Moth said with a voice full of misery. "I've lost my son through my own folly."

"You empowered me to go after him," said Chat Noir.

"I didn't know he was your opponent... not until it was too late."

"Surrender," said Ladybug, "I can bring him back with a world-healing charm."

"I'm also in no mood to surrender," said Hawk Moth. "If I defeat you I can take your miraculous, do the healing charm, and then get my wish which will restore my whole family."

"It's two against one," said Chat Noir. "I won't hold back. I want revenge for being forced to kill an innocent."

"Security system! Target the intruders," said Hawk Moth.

The shutters covering the windows snapped closed. Dim red lights went on. Weapon ports in the wall opened and a whole array of missiles was pointed at them.

"Now you surrender. Take off your Miraculous now or die," said Hawk Moth.

Ladybug realized what her remote was for. She punched the largest button. The missiles withdrew back into their ports.

"An override?" asked Hawk Moth. "That won't hold for long. Security system, go to backup circuits."

Chat Noir leaped to the wall. Touching it, she called out: "Cataclysm!"

The destructive power caused all the circuits in the room to short out, other than the lights.

"Clever, but you've made a fatal mistake," said Hawk Moth. "You are both about to time out and I am not yet defeated."

Hawk Moth drew a silver sword from his cane. Chat Noir gripped her baton and took a fencing stance.

"You can't defeat me," said Hawk Moth. "My transformation makes me an expert fencer."

"I have trained all my life to be an expert fencer," said Chat Noir.

"I'm not worried. You couldn't even beat my son until I gave you extra powers," said Hawk Moth.

"He cheated!" said Chat Noir in a rage.

Chat Noir fought with fury. In a moment she had sent the sword into the air. She tossed her baton aside and caught the weapon. She looked ready to lunge.

"No!" said Ladybug. "Don't kill him!"

Ladybug tried to restrain Chat Noir as she charged forward, but Ladybug was pushed aside.

Hawk Moth had just enough time to yell a phrase: "Nooroo, Dark wings fall!"

By the time Chat Noir reached Gabriel Agreste, the sword in her hand had vanished. As her hand touched his chest, she moved it up and tore off the Butterfly Miraculous, which has turned into a round pin. Her fist went up back and smashed into his chin – he went down.

Ladybug threw the remote control into the air. "Miraculous Ladybug!"

A swarm of magical red ladybugs went forth and restored all the damage.

"Adrien's all right now... I hope," said Ladybug. "Please... let him be all right."

Both young women heard their Miraculous beeping. Only a minute remained before they timed out.

"We'd better find a way out of here and call the police to pick up Hawk Moth," said Chat Noir.

"You're not going anywhere," said a cold female voice.

Someone had entered the room stealthily while they were distracted.

"Who are you?" asked Ladybug.

"I used to call myself Le Paon," said the woman. "But now I prefer Mayura. It means 'peacock' in Sanscrit, you know."


	3. Mayura

As Mayura came into the light, the two heroes could see she was a tall woman in a dark blue dress that had peacock-feather patterns around the edge of the skirt. She wore a cocktail hat with a transparent veil that covered her right eye. Her skin was tinged with blue, and in her right hand she held a peacock-feather fan with fluffy white feathers on the edge.

Mayura made sweeping motions with her fan and a blast of wind hit Ladybug and Kagami. Their Miraculouses timed out as the magical wind drained the last of the energy.

Mayura produced two sets of handcuffs from behind the fan. With her superior strength she cuffed their hands behind their backs.

"You?" said Kagami. "Ladybug, you're the biased referee who got me into this in the first place?"

"I'm sorry about that bad call, but we're in too much trouble to worry about that right now," said Marinette.

"What have you done?" Mayura demanded. "How dare you break into this home and assault the master of the house? Superheroes or not, you aren't above the law."

"Let us go!" said Kagami.

"I should turn you over to the police, or at least tell the world your identities," said Mayura. "I recognize you from the hat contest, Marinette Dupain-Cheng. I can find out who your partner is, too."

"Please don't do that! Gabriel Agreste was Hawk Moth," said Marinette. "We've saved the city."

"I know that," said Mayura. "But still..."

"We had to stop him," said the Kagami.

"I was monitoring you through the security cameras," said Mayura. "You hit him with your full Chat Noir strength after he detransformed. He almost certainly has a severe concussion."

Mayura pulled a white feather from the top of her fan. It turned blue as she held it in her hands.

"My love, I summon healing for you," said Mayura, blowing the feather towards Gabriel Agreste on the floor.

Gabriel sighed and stirred after the feather touched him.

"It will take a little time for the healing to take full effect. I will tell you now what this is all about, and why you should give me your Miraculouses voluntarily to accomplish his worthy goal."

"What goal?" asked Marinette. "What could be worth the terror he's been inflicting on Paris?"

"Nothing is worth that," said Kagami. "Nothing could be worth making me kill."

"Restoring Gabriel's wife, Emilie, is the goal," said Mayura. "The Peacock Miraculous has been in her family for years, after it was lost by a careless Tibetan monk. She used the Peacock power, occasionally in secret to fight crime, but mainly to preserve her youth and beauty. She found it valuable as an actress and model."

"A Miraculous isn't supposed to be used for anything selfish," said Marinette.

"That is correct," said Mayura. "Years of misuse damaged the Miraculous, which in turn damaged Emilie herself. The side effect of trying to preserve herself from the ravages of time slowed her down and drained her energy.

"Emilie and Gabriel went to Tibet following clues in her family records to a secret cache where another Miraculous and a secret grimoire were said to be hidden. They hoped to find a solution to her problem, but it was too late. She slipped into a magical coma, and remains here in that state to this day."

"Here? In this house? And Adrien doesn't know?" asked Marinette. "Why wasn't he told? He thinks she just ran off or something."

"We didn't want to cause Adrien more pain. We hoped that his mother could be cured. She can be sustained in this state by consuming life energy. Plants around her are helpful, but direct sunlight is not. She's like a vampire now, in a way. But not for blood, just plants. She's underground in a room with plants growing under artificial light."

"You called him 'my love'," said Chat. "Why are you helping him bring back his wife, if you want him for yourself?"

"I love him, but I know it's hopeless," said Mayura. "I'm loyal to the family. I'll help him to be happy at any cost."

"I think I know who you are," said Marinette. "Loyal to the family, knowing me from the hat contest: you're Nathalie Sancoeur, the personal assistant of Gabriel Agreste."

"There's no reason not to admit it. I have taken up the Peacock Miraculous, in spite of any danger to myself, in order to help Gabriel and Emilie."

"How can you free her?" asked Chat.

"From the grimoire, we found out that Gabriel could get a wish if the power of the Miraculouses of Creation and Destruction were combined. We were able to translate only that part. That's why we need your Miraculouses. That's why Hawk Moth has been making supervillains. It was all to draw you out and get that wish."

"But did you read the part about how it's a terrible idea to use that wish, because of the cosmic balance?" asked Marinette. "The universe will just transfer her curse to someone else."

"You know about that?" asked Mayura sharply. "Someone has been talking too much. I'm sorry, because had I hoped to talk you into handing over your Miraculous peacefully. But now..."

She closed in and took the earrings and the ring from her captives. She also got the Butterfly Miraculous back.

"You know... and you're still are going to do it?" asked Marinette. "You're just as evil as he is."

"We're not evil," said Mayura. "We simply go for what we want at any cost."

"That _is_ evil," said Kagami.

"I will make the wish and offer you as substitutes for the curse. Both of you are Miraculous users who have abused your powers."

"I've abused my powers? How?" asked Marinette.

"You humiliated the girl who became Volpina, for one thing," said Mayura. "You also used your Lucky Charm to create a phonograph record to change the music at Adrien's unauthorized birthday party, for reasons that had nothing to do with capturing the villain. I'm guessing it was to get Adrien out of a slow dance."

"That's a real stretch, to call changing a record an abuse," said Marinette.

"What about me?" asked Kagami. "How did I abuse the power? I just got it today."

"Your case is even worse," said Mayura. "You only took on the power for revenge. I'm glad you took over for Adrien today – I never could have done this to Gabriel's son."

"You didn't know he was Chat Noir?" asked Marinette.

"Not until today," said Nathalie. "It would have made things much easier for us if we had."

Gabriel Agreste opened his eyes and got to his feet.

"Excellent work, Mayura," said Gabriel. "Though I wish you hadn't used the damaged Miraculous and put yourself in danger."

"I did what I had to for you, Sir," said Nathalie. "Here are the Miraculouses."

"Wonderful! But I can't make the wish right here and now. We must spirit them away to my fall-back hideout first."

"As you wish, Sir. May I ask why?"

"We must assume Miss Dupain-Cheng has informed her parents of her secret. If Ladybug was seen coming in here, just before Marinette disappears... there could be accusations and a search. I don't want any trace of her found here, in a coma or... otherwise."

"You intend to kill whichever of us doesn't go into a coma?" asked Kagami.

Gabriel nodded.

"You're both horrible!" said Marinette.

"This will work out very nicely. With a little time and persuasion I can get you both to write running-away notes," said Gabriel. "I don't think it will be that difficult, since the alternative would be to make your parents disappear as well."

"It will never work," said Kagami. "My parents won't believe I would run away."

"After a humiliating fencing defeat?" said Gabriel. "I think it would be quite credible."

"As for Ladybug, she might well give up and run away after seeing her friend cut in half before her eyes," said Mayura.

* * *

With Gabriel holding onto Marinette, and Mayura holding onto Kagami, they went through the elevator system... down from the attic room, sideways a short distance, and then up into Gabriel's atelier, in front of the large portrait of his wife.

"Soon, Emilie, soon we will be together again," murmured Gabriel as he looked at the picture.

"Why did we have to come out in the open?" asked Mayura.

"The secret escape tunnel isn't connected to the rest of the passages, for security reasons," said Gabriel. "We just need to cross the main hall, and..."

Adrien burst through the front door. "I'm home! I was killed by an akuma, but Ladybug cured me... Father? What are you doing? Why are Marinette and Kagami in handcuffs? Oh! Another akuma!"

Marinette cried out, "Adrien, run! Your father is Hawk Moth and he's captured us. Nathalie is helping him in villain form!"

Adrien glared at his father. "You monster!"

"It's not like that, Adrien! I'll show you it's all worth it."

Holding the Ladybug and Cat Miraculouses together in one hand, Gabriel chanted a spell in a foreign language. A fiery blue glow formed around him as he said, "I wish the coma curse to be lifted from my wife, Emilie, and put instead on one of these two closest to me who has abused their Miraculous powers."

The glow faded away. Gabriel went stiff and would have fallen to the floor if Mayura hadn't caught him.

"The way that wish was phrased..." said Marinette. "The 'two closest' could include himself. And if anyone abused their Miraculous powers, he did."

"Father! No!" cried Adrien.

There was the sound of an elevator in the atelier, and a moment later Emilie Agreste entered the room.

"Adrien, darling, I'm back! Gabriel? What has happened?"

THE END


End file.
